Recorded live on February 4, 2016 at Cooper Hewitt. David Adjaye OBE is an architect and designer known for combining the aesthetics of his African heritage with classic, modernist design. His studio, Adjaye Associates, has established projects on four continents, including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, scheduled to open...
In the mid-1820s, the development of press-molding radically changed the American glass industry, increasing output and bringing affordable decorative glasswares within the reach of a broader consumer market. In this new production process, workers placed gathers of molten glass in a machine press and applied pressure, forcing the glass into the contours of a mold....
Woven coverlets in the United States are typically categorized as either Geometric or Figured and Fancy; the latter describes this red-and-cream wool and cotton example with its floral and animal motifs. Though Figured and Fancy varieties do maintain regularity and often a linear quality, the inclusion of curvilinear lines, natural or architectural elements, etc. distinguishes...
This seemingly seasonal sidewall was conceived by American designer Janet Hart White for Basset & Vollum, Inc. in 1953. Polygonal shapes of various sizes are outlined in black and scattered across a cream colored ground. Hexagonal medallions in bright blue and green highlight the intricate radial patterns contained within the polygons. For most of us,...
The wild and syncopated play of color and pattern in this tie-dyed textile from ancient Peru seems to counter the meticulous and steadied hand of the Andean weaver. The fabric was in fact specially woven in discreet, stepped-shaped units that were cut apart and re-assembled after being tie-dyed, mixing up the variously dyed sections. Several...
In 1901, Austrian designer Koloman Moser published Die Quelle: Flächen Schmuck (The Source: Ornament for Flat Surfaces), a compilation of vivid pattern designs intended for flat surfaces. A series of plates from this book are in Cooper Hewitt’s collection, including this one, called Acricola Bodenbelag. Primarily known for founding the influential Wiener Werkstätte (the Vienna Workshops) along...
Art nouveau as both an architectural style and a style for any kind of ornament, permeated so much of European culture during the time period of 1890–1910. Fashion, graphic design, household furnishings and so many other everyday objects reflected this style – even your house keys were Art Nouveau! The Cooper-Hewitt Library has a large...
When Coherent Communications System Corporation decided to create this conference phone their goal was to accommodate the needs of conference calls by incorporating all the necessary telephone elements and electronics into a single, sophisticated speaker/microphone housing. For ease of use and efficiency, the engineers wanted to position the speaker in such a way that the...
Join us for a discussion with Marimekko designers Aino-Maija Metsola, Mika Piirainen, and Sami Ruotsalainen, as they speak about their approach to design, and the unique vision of the iconic brand. Design by Hand is made possible by the support of Van Cleef & Arpels
